


heartbeat's running away

by clairelutra (exosolarmoon), sharpshooting



Series: I want the K (the shance edition) [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bonding, Developing Relationship, Knuckle kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 14:44:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14083233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exosolarmoon/pseuds/clairelutra, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharpshooting/pseuds/sharpshooting
Summary: They've won the battle, if not the war, and a victory is a victory; they can sleep safe in their beds for another day.Now Lance just needs to remind Shiro of that.





	heartbeat's running away

**Author's Note:**

> i was looking for some emotional song to appropriately title this fic but i kept getting stuck on trap remixes of nicki minaj and jason derulo songs so y o u k n o w w h a t
> 
> (written for [elliott](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitWaterSunnyRiver/pseuds/MoonlitWaterSunnyRiver), who gave me inspo when there was none ♥)

21+: Knuckle Kiss

“Who’s the man? _Whoooo’s the man?_ Eh? Ehhh?”

The words were accompanied by an erratic pattern of little elbow nudges, Lance’s face lit by the golden light of the setting sun, and maybe it was the relief of another planet saved, or maybe Lance was just growing on him, but Shiro couldn’t seem to muster up a single ounce of irritation.

“You are,” Shiro said, unable to entirely remove the laughter from his voice. “You’re the man, Lance. You did a great job.”

Lance half-faltered like he hadn’t quite expected that, but he buoyed back up fast, turning his nose up an preening his shoulders. “Darn right, I am.”

The shrapnel from the Galra ships was reentering the atmosphere, twinkling as it burned up as it fell into the thick forests far away from the populace, a shower of stars for tired survivors, and Shiro…

Shiro was pretty damn tired.

“Hey,” said Lance, much quieter. “We did it.”

Shiro found Lance watching him with a smile on his mouth and heartache in his eyes. 

He hesitated a moment, then rested his hand on Lance’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We did.”

Lance’s expression didn’t change.

Shiro’s gut twisted, glancing away as it slowly became unbearable to meet Lance’s eye. “We should… get back to the others.”

In his peripheral vision, Lance’s smile fell, the look replaced by shades of worried indecision that unbalanced something in Shiro’s chest, told Shiro that this might not be the best time to hear whatever Lance was debating. 

“Thank you, Lance,” Shiro murmured, letting go of Lance’s shoulder and making to leave. Maybe some other time he could lose himself in interpersonal complexities, but right now… right now was not that time. “Let’s—”

“Hey.”

Shiro’s hand was caught, lean fingers curling around his palm, and Shiro’s stomach swooped like he’d missed a step. “…What?”

His hand was lifted up, up, up, and when he glanced back…

His knuckles were a single inch from Lance’s mouth. 

Lance’s gaze focused on him, eyes a soft storm of gold and grey and blue, and pressed a kiss to Shiro’s hand so light he might never have felt it if he hadn’t seen it.

But, oh, he felt it. The step he’d missed was the ledge of a precipice, as far as his heart was concerned.

“We did it,” Lance repeated, rough and sure, his smile much clearer than before. “We’re alive. So are they. _You_ did it too, you know? They’re safe.”

Shiro swallowed, his stomach a fluttering mess, and said, “They are.”

It came out unsteadier than he’d like, but then, everything was unsteadier than he’d like. Slipping his palm from Lance’s grasp, Shiro turned on his heel and started walking back towards their lions.

Lance hesitated.

And, really, what was Shiro supposed to _do_ here? Embrace him? Tell him that he was appreciated? Just leave? What was even the _protocol_ for a friend kissing your hand like some old-timey knight in shining armor? _Shiro_ was supposed to be the knight here, honestly…

It took five steps down the slope of the hill they’d been on for Shiro to realize that Lance wasn’t going to follow him without prompting.

He glanced back over his shoulder, tilting his head and offering Lance a smile. He hoped it didn’t look as shaken as it felt. “Well? You coming?”

Lance flinched, scrambling after Shiro with his puppy-like vitality filling him back up in leaps and bounds, and all was right with the world.

…At least, Shiro thought as he brought his tingling hand to rub the odd ache under his breast bone, he hoped so.


End file.
